Life
by ArtemisMS
Summary: True love is eccentric, as natural as breathing.


The Small Things

1.

On warm summer days, Gunter likes to order all the castle windows thrown open. Gwendal gets annoyed, because the light breeze rustles the papers on his desk, so Greta hunts for stones outside and brings them to his office to be used as paperweights.

2.

Anissina has fishnet stockings that she only wears on Gwendal's birthday to show him what he's been missing all these years.

3.

Whenever Gwendal has a cold, Gunter does his best to avoid him. Gwendal likes to be coddled, but Gunter hates the sharp taste of medicine on his tongue, and Gwendal gets very hurt when he won't kiss him. Others say he is brooding, but Gunter knows he's just hurt, so he'd rather avoid it altogether.

4.

Gwendal has long, luxurious hair. It feels like silk when Gunter runs his fingers through it. He can only do this when Gwendal is asleep, because otherwise Gwendal will frown and pretend he does not enjoy it.

5.

Beneath his long white cloak, Gunter's body is perfect. Nobody knows this except Gwendal, or at least that's what he likes to convince himself of when he catches others eyeing Gunter appreciatively at balls and state dinners.

6.

Gunter finally has Anissina concoct cough syrup that tastes like cherries because Gwendal's grumpiness has gotten out of control.

7.

Gunter has a very disciplined mind. He can spend five hours straight in the castle library, pouring over various texts, glasses perched beneath his gently furrowed brow.

8.

Gwendal has very fierce eyes, but they soften when he finds Gunter asleep in the library, his cheek resting on the open page of a book.

Life As We Know It

1.

Gwendal stared long and hard at the red and pink card Gunter had handed him. "I don't understand," he finally said.

Gunter laughed. "Oh, Gwendal! Don't worry. You don't have to make me one, too!" He turned and left, long white hair and cloak swishing in his wake.

Gwendal carefully propped the card up on his desk and sat down to resume his work.

2.

"Oh, Gwendal, look!!" Gunter cries as he tosses the purple feather boa over his shoulder, feathers mingling and trailing down with his long hair. "Jennifer-sama said it would accent my eyes!"

Gwendal looks up to bark at him to leave, but then pauses, seeing the boa, and reconsiders.

3.

When Gunter enters Gwendal's office wearing a tiara and a secretive smile, Gwendal doesn't even look up.

"Gunter, I said _no_."

Gunter pouts and turns to go.

4.

"Beg for mercy!" Gunter cries, snapping the whip, violet eyes blazing down at Gwendal. "Oh my," he says, pausing, blinking. "That didn't actually hurt, did it?"

"No!" Gwendal pants.

5.

"Ummm…" Yuuri pauses in the doorway to Gwendal's office, then after a moment's thought, turns and walks right back out.

Gunter frets, looking scandalized. "Oh, Gwendal! Do you think he _knows_??"

Gwendal scowls. "Get off, Gunter. I have work to do."

6.

Gunter goes a bit cross-eyed as Gwendal carefully fits the knitted bunny ears over his head. "All right," he says cheerfully. "Now what?"

"Hop," suggests Gwendal.

"Hop?" Gunter smiles, going cross-eyed again. "How about if I just wiggle my nose?"

That proves to be sufficient.

7.

"Pedal faster, Gwendal!" cries Anissina's triumphant voice.

Gunter turns and hurries back in the opposite direction.

8.

"Fluffy," murmurs Gwendal suddenly, his deep voice softened in the darkness.

"Fluffy?" asks Gunter, amused. "What's fluffy?"

"Mmmmm." Silence, then more soft, even breathing.

9.

Gwendal frowned at the ruler in Gunter's hand. "What's that for?"

Gunter shrugged. "I thought it would hurt less."

Gwendal only grunted.

10.

_Artistry must run in their family_, Gunter thought one morning, as he lay in bed, thumbing through the forbidden pages of Gwendal's journal. At the sound of the bathroom door opening, he hastily pushed the journal back inside the drawer of the nightstand.

11.

On the balcony outside Gwendal's room, Gunter sometimes likes to lift his arms and close his eyes, letting the wind blow his hair and cape back.

"Do you ever wish you could fly, Gwendal?" he asks dreamily.

But Gwendal doesn't answer. Gunter smiles, then lowers his arms, hands resting over the strong pair of arms that slide around his waist.


End file.
